The present invention relates to temporary enclosure, barrier or partition structures. In particular, the invention concerns extensible support frames or structures for providing temporary or semi-permanent enclosures or barriers at a workplace or similar site.
There are many applications for so-called portable enclosures, barriers or partitions. For instance, a portable screen can be used to partition off a particular workplace. One such application concerns painting or carpentry work in an existing building in which it is desirable to prevent debris from leaving the work area and infiltrating other areas of the building. Another application is in the patching of ceilings in which spackling paste or drywall repair materials are airborn within the work area. A temporary barrier or screen around the work area is important to keep the airborn debris from entering the relatively clean areas adjacent the workplace.
These temporary enclosures can have a variety of uses, inside or outside a building. For instance, temporary enclosures can provide some measure of insulation or protection from the elements when used as a duck blind or even as an ice fishing enclosure. The temporary enclosure structure can also be used for storage, such as for storing wood, or housing automobiles.
Temporary enclosure structures of this sort must be portable and easily assembled into a variety of arrangements to accommodate a particular application. The structure must be capable of supporting a shield, such as a tarpaulin or screen. It is preferable that the structure be easily extensible, both vertically and horizontally, in order to cover a wide range of volumes and areas.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a temporary extensible structure that can be used in a variety of applications where a temporary enclosure, barrier, screen, partition, or similar structure is desired.